The Honda Civic is a mean-looking piece of art. Indeed, it is poetry in motion with its sleek streamlined profile. Being in the driver’s seat gave me another reason why I must get my driving license soon. The feeling of being in control was simply overwhelming. And I do look good in one.

If only I could afford the figures printed on its price tag. The sum to my mobility adds up to a handsome amount. The price of an ultra lightweight wheelchair must be factored in. One that I can easily assemble and disassemble and put in the car costs US$2,000 upwards. This is an amount I can ill afford at the moment. It is a nice dream though.

William, Cynthia, Wuan and I had dinner at one of the Chinese restaurant in SS2 Petaling Jaya last Saturday. It was a noodle house that served lousy tasting bowls of la mian. I will not recommend anyone to patronize this shop. The less than pleasant food went very well with the letdown that Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest flung on us. I do not like movies without an ending, or one with an ending that leads to a sequel. It is a pity that I liked Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl enough to bug the trio into watching it with me.

So, after a meal that I would rather forget, we got back to the car. After I was comfortably seated, William asked for my camera. While we waited in the car, he was outside shooting away with the camera pointed down at the parking lot next to ours. We wondered what it was that caught his attention. I thought it was something in the drain, a large fish perhaps, or an animal carcass.

When he got back into the car and passed the camera to Wuan, he said to me, “Put this in your blog.”

It was much later when I reviewed the images on my laptop that I realized what it was. It was a knocked-down sign for an accessible parking lot with text in three languages: Malay, English and Chinese. The English text read: “You have taken my car park. Please take along my disability.”

Photo by William.

Photo by William.

Toh Puan Datuk Dr. Aishah Ong, Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah, Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor and
Datin Noorhayati Kamaluddin launching the MIND website.
Photo by Wuan.

The Malaysian Information Network on Disabilities (MIND) was officially launched by Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah at Bangunan BAKTI Siti Hasmah today. MIND is an online portal containing information on various disabilities. This project is managed under the auspices of BAKTI (Badan Amal Kebajikan Tenaga Isteri-Isteri). The MIND Lab is situated on the third floor of Bangunan BAKTI Siti Hasmah.

VIPs having a good chuckle over Tun. Dr. Siti Hasmah’s cute ringtone during
the demonstration of environmental control systems by Victor.
Photo by Wuan.

Dato’ Dr. Zaliha Omar, a Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine, heads the project since its inception in 2004. She is assisted by Victor Liew, the webmaster of MIND, and a team of part-timers and volunteers consisting of disabled persons and non-disabled of various professions. I am currently involved in developing the Independent Living section and also in updating the News & Events section together with Victor.

MIND – Malaysian Information Network On Disabilities.
Photo by Wuan.

Apart from static information, the website also has hyperlinks to other international sites, a forum for exchanging ideas and information, a calendar of events and an archive of disability-related articles from major local newspapers. It is hoped that disabled persons and those involved with them will utilize the information contained in the website to improve their quality of life. This is truly a noble effort by Malaysians for Malaysians.

Related entries:
1st BAKTI – MIND Conference : ICT for People With Disabilities
BAKTI – MIND Conference Empowering PWDs With ICT